Business

Lease security bonus payment to benefit all clan members

June 4, 2020 6:20 am

Fiji Pine Limited will continue to ensure the lease security bonus payment reaches all beneficiaries.

Minister for Forests, Osea Naiqamu has highlighted changes that were made to the lease security bonus payment as heads of the clan was only benefiting from it.

Naiqamu says in the past, clan heads would keep a large portion of the money, among their immediate family members, leaving a small share for the rest.

Article continues after advertisement

He says Fiji Pine Limited has made payments of $19.25 million as lease security bonus to landowners, since 2013.

Naiqamu says in 2019, the Fiji Pine Limited’s Board held discussions on how they can assist in ensuring that the money reaches all beneficiaries and is also used for projects that benefit the entire landowning unit.

He says the outcome is 30 percent of the lease security bonus payment which is now equally distributed to all clan members through the iTaukei Land Trust Board’s equal rent distribution platform.